1. Which NASCAR Cup Series crew chief is on the hot seat right now?
Christopher Hansen: Randall Burnett, crew chief for the No. 8 of Kyle Busch, is facing the most pressure. Busch hasn’t won a Cup race in over two years, the longest winless streak of his full-time Cup career. Richard Childress Racing’s Cup program has struggled greatly the last few seasons, and things don’t look to be improving. Burnett is a solid crew chief, having guided Busch to three victories and a playoff appearance in their first season together. It’s easy to blame the cars Busch drives every week as what’s behind the long winless streak; however, maybe a change on the pit box is also needed to help Busch return to victory lane.
Mike Neff: There is little question that Burnett is sitting on a very warm seat. While Busch is sitting in 15th in points, which is where Joey Logano was last year heading into the playoffs, he is currently outside the playoffs looking in. RCR needs to make the cars better; just look at how poorly Busch’s teammate Austin Dillon is running. Busch has started qualifying better, and that should result in better finishes. The driver has also made quite a few mistakes this year, but the bottom line is the crew chief is ultimately responsible. A win and then a good playoff run will fix everything, but the pressure is definitely on.
Kevin Nix: Burnett. Busch has not been his usual self for at least a year now, and it seems like he is overdriving a mediocre car to finish better than it is capable of doing. When it happens enough times, the setup and race strategy have to come into question. The No. 8 car simply does not have enough speed right now, and that goes back to when it’s being built and tweaked in the shop. I’m not sure if Burnett is the main problem at RCR, but he certainly is not the solution.
Andrew Stoddard: The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team has fallen off over the past few seasons, and Alan Gustafson needs to shoulder some of the blame for that. Chase Elliott led 238 laps from the pole at Dover Motor Speedway, but a late two-tire call by Gustafson cost Elliott some track position and relegated him to sixth with arguably the dominant car of the day. Yes, Elliott and Gustafson won a championship together, but that was back in 2020 and they’ve only won two races together since the start of 2023. Perhaps this driver and crew chief relationship has grown stale and Hendrick might look to shake things up to ignite the No. 9.
2. Who will win the In-Season Challenge: Ty Dillon or Ty Gibbs?
Neff: You would think Ty Gibbs, but after the first four races, there is zero reason to bet against Ty Dillon. He has obviously been the underdog this entire time, yet he is still here. Dillon has two top 15s and four top 20s in five Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gibbs has raced it once and finished 23rd. Dillon also has a NASCAR Xfinity Series win and five top 10s in six races in the series. Dillon is very good at Indy, and dare I say, should be the favorite in this pairing this weekend.
Stoddard: Dillon’s run as the 32nd and final seed has been a feel-good story for the Cup Series this summer. Additionally, Dillon has the experience advantage at Indianapolis over Gibbs, and he has kissed the bricks before in the Xfinity Series in 2014. That said, Toyotas tend to be really strong at the Brickyard, in particular those belonging to Joe Gibbs Racing. The clock will strike midnight on Dillon’s Cinderella story at Indianapolis, with Gibbs edging him out for the In-Season Challenge crown. It should be a big boost to Gibbs’ confidence as he continues to seek his first Cup win.
Hansen: Gibbs will leave Indianapolis with one million dollars after 400 miles of racing at The Brickyard. Gibbs’ No. 54 JGR team will outrun Dillon’s Kaulig Racing entry on sheer speed. Dillon’s only hope of completing a dream run through the In-Season Challenge will be some sort of mistake from Gibbs, whether that’s an accident or mechanical failure that takes him completely out of the race. Dillon had a memorable run as the 32nd seed in the tournament, but his Cinderella run will come to an end this weekend.
Nix: Dillon. He is on a Cinderella run, and it has proven to be one of the best stories of the entire season. He’s got plot armor going into Indianapolis. Beyond the plot armor, his lone Xfinity win came at the Brickyard, and he finished better than Gibbs in last year’s Brickyard 400. It is one of his best tracks, and he could easily beat Gibbs to get Kaulig the $1 million.
3. Carson Hocevar has three straight finishes outside the top 30. What has gone wrong with Hocevar and the No. 77 team?
Nix: Very little different compared to earlier in the season. At Sonoma Raceway, Carson Hocevar got spun by Josh Berry when he was in the top 15. He caused his own DNF at the Chicago street course, then hit the wall at Dover. All three of these finishes were due to driver error, either by Hocevar or one of his peers. The team still has the same speed it had earlier in the year, but it has not been able to put the full race together.
Stoddard: Luck is certainly one of the factors behind Hocevar’s recent slump. However, the turmoil of his sophomore season has also caught up to him. The Spire Motorsports driver has had run-ins with Berry and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., among others. Hocevar has not made any friends in the Cup garage area, and you’ve got to think other drivers are racing him harder than at the beginning of the season. If Hocevar can stay out of the spotlight and focus on racing for a bit, we’ll see the No. 77’s results improve.
Neff: Bad luck happens. Hocevar has been fast and has simply had some tough breaks. Most every team has a slump during the year, and this is the slump for the No. 77. The win is coming for Hocevar; it is just a matter of time.
Hansen: Hocevar’s last three finishes have been due to a variety of on-track incidents, from crashing completely on his own at Chicago to an all-around rough day at Dover after hitting the wall. The No. 77 has speed no question, but a little luck and some solid performances is exactly what Hocevar needs to recapture the results he was getting earlier this season, most notably a second-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway.
4. Should the Xfinity Series race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park instead of The Brickyard?
Stoddard: While the Xfinity Series has put on good shows at IRP in the past, IMS is the right place for it right now. It allows IRP and the Brickyard to each have two events on track for the race weekend. Furthermore, it would also be easier for NASCAR to sell Brickyard 400 tickets if there is another race at the track. Also, the primary purpose of the Xfinity Series is to prepare young prospects for the Cup Series. So it makes sense that the NXS maintains companion events with the Cup Series at several tracks, including Indianapolis.
Hansen: The Xfinity cars would benefit from a return to IRP. When you think of NASCAR racing at the Brickyard, many associate it with the Cup cars, even though the Xfinity Series has raced on the 2.5-mile speedway nine times since 2012. As the neighboring IRP features tight quarters and true short-track racing, many would prefer the Xfinity Series to return to IRP.
Neff: Unquestionably, the Xfinity Series should run at IRP. The series started in 1982, and the stands were packed every race until the date was unceremoniously ripped away for no reason in 2012. It’s the best asphalt track in the country and should be on the Cup schedule as well. The fans supported the track and series, the racing was better than it is at the big track and there was no opportunity given to the track to keep the race there. It is time for it to return.
Nix: Yes. While the Xfinity race last year was very entertaining, the cars simply match IRP more than they do the Brickyard. Xfinity would still put on a great show at IRP. It is a unique short track that requires great finesse as well as skill. The Brickyard should be reserved for the best of the best, and that would be the Cup Series. That’s what the hallowed grounds of Indy deserve.
What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kevin Nix has been with Frontstretch since February 2023. Hailing from Gilbert, Arizona, his dream is to be in the NASCAR media sphere full-time. He is a video assistant, working on the back end to streamline video and audio quality of all at-track interviews. Nix also writes about news every Monday for the site.
Nix graduated with a Master's Degree in Sports Journalism from ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix, Arizona. He also has bachelor's degrees in Communications and Political Science. In his downtime, he likes to read, play video games and take walks in the Arizona weather - when it's not too hot.
Andrew Stoddard joined Frontstretch in May of 2022 as an iRacing contributor. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, and VCU. He works as an athletic communications specialist at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.